Synopsis

There's a serial killer loose in Los Angeles and the local authorities need help fast. For some reason the killer has been leaving a string of maddeningly arcane clues at each crime scene. Each of these clues, it seems, is an indecipherable roadmap to the next murder.

Onto the scene comes L, the mysterious super-sleuth. Despite his peculiar working habits-he's never shown his face in public, for example-he's the most decorated detective in the world and has never tackled a case he hasn't been able to crack.

But this time he needs help.

Enlisting the services of an FBI agent named Naomi Misora, L starts snooping around the City of Angels. It soon becomes apparent that the killing spree is a psychotic riddle designed to specifically engage L in a battle of wits. Stuck in the middle between killer and investigator, it's up to Misora to navigate both the dead bodies and the egos to solve the Los Angeles Murder Cases.

Being the Death Note fan that I am, I searched tirelessly for more Death Note after the anime ended. That included the live action movies, Death Note special and one shot. So you can imagine that I was pretty excited when I found out there was more Death Note out there in the form of ‘Another Note: LABB Murder Cases’. I was practically squealing (grunting if that makes me sound more manly) at the thought and immediately placed this on my plan to read list. Of course, no one told me this was a novel and not a manga so you can say that I was quite surprised when I saw this at my local bookstore.

Story:

The title, Death Note Another Note: The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases was a bit misleading. The entire story itself is in fact, a bit misleading. I immediately dreamt of some kind of back-story in which another human had taken hold of a Death Note prior to the events of the actual story and that it would be some kind of buried, post-Kira incident. It was no such thing. Instead, LABB Murder Cases is in fact more of a detective novel that focuses on nothing more than a not-so-ordinary serial killer who has managed to peak L’s interest. Soon, Naomi Misora is offered to work alongside L in order to solve the case.

The murder cases themselves are quite typical. Naomi Misora and L working together in order to apprehend the murderer is quite typical. All in all, if that was all the story amounted to, this novel would be too typical to carry the name ‘Death Note’ in it. While the first few pages of the novel will interest you, you can expect to be lulled into a bit of a slow investigation at first, only interesting because you are given more of a glimpse at the way Misora thinks and how she meets L for the first time. It does however, soon become interesting as familiar psychological warfare begins. Saying another would spoil it, but be assured that the novel does carry the same psychological manipulation / investigative deductions that Death Note the series carried. The ending the novel sets up is surprising. The way you are misled throughout the novel is done brilliantly. It loses points however, due to some unbelievable aspects of the story and while it is a good story, it lacks the depth and special something a 10/10 would have. 9/10

Characters:

While L of course plays an important role in the novel, he is not in fact, the main character. Instead, the novel gives us a closer look at Naomi Misora prior to the actual story and her relationship with L which is actually quite interesting. Misora who is given such a crucial, albeit short role, in the Death Note series was an interestingly strong character who some might say deserved more. This novel does just that and gives us an excellent look at the Misora’s deductive abilities in addition to her personality which is hidden during the course of the actual series. While in the series we only see Misora as the cool, serious, ex-FBI agent bent on tracking Kira, the novel allows us to see past her serious attire and focus on some of her more human traits.

Furthermore, readers are given a glimpse at Mello as well for he is in fact, the teller, the ‘writer’ and narrator of this story. Not only does this again, give us more insight into a character who meets an end quite quickly, but also gives us a look into the Wammy House, L’s origin, and the way he and the others perceived a future as L’s replacement. 9/10

Overall: I didn’t take much of a look at art because this was a novel. Overall it was an interesting read. It doesn’t have a Death Note in it and there is no Kira seeking to build a utopia, but the psychological / mystery aspects of Death Note are still there. Characters we know from the show are expanded and given a chance to show their true colors in this novel. Finally, the novel builds itself a great climax to end it off and to the casual readers like me who prefer having the answers laid out for them instead of trying to solve them as most mystery fans would do, be ready for a surprise. Death Note Another Note did not need another Death Note to make it a hit. It is a unique experience for Death Note fans, although I would say that only a Death Note fan could understand and enjoy the novel to the extent that I have. My only complaint is that some portions of the story is quite unbelievable and almost ridiculous. 9/10read more

I am a huge fan of the Death Note anime series so I was hyped up when I heard about this novel. The story revolves around the Los Angeles BB Murder Cases (apparent by the title) which are briefly discussed in the original Death Note series when the character Naomi Misora is introduced into the story line. The only aspect you really learn of this case is that the detective L and the ex-FBI agent Naomi Misora worked together on the case.

Story: Let me first say that I'm glad that I am an L Lawliet fan because if I were one of those "all hail Kira" people, I probably wouldn't have enjoyed this novel as much as I did because it only refers to Kira and never actually features him, while also appraising L and his achievements as a detective. I really enjoyed this story line because it gives you more insight into the Wammy House's inhabitants and into Naomi Misora's background. It takes a few minutes to get settled into the story, but of course it quickly takes a turn at L's first actual "appearance". The story had me anticipating what would happen next throughout the whole novel. The readers think they know what's happening, but clearly by the end of the story, you are most likely wrong. The only flaws is that it does get a bit tedious and wordy and one might say it "jumps the shark" but even the author or narrator (Mello) mentions that its explanation is tedious. Overall I rate the story an 8/10.

Characters: Any fan of L Lawliet will be very eager to read this novel because L is back with all of his quirks. Naomi Misora is better developed which made me sympathize with her character more. Misora is simply concluded as a kick butt FBI agent who surprisingly saves L in a way in this story. I also fell in the love with Beyond Birthday, the supposed antagonist of the story and by the end you ultimately can't dislike his character. Rue Ryuzaki, is also a very quirky character who you can easily learn to love -wink wink-. Overall I rate the characters a 10/10.

And of course I recommend this to any Death Note lover, especially fans of the L character. Overall I give this novel a 9/10.read more

I actually didn't hear about this novel until I read something about it in Anime Insider (before they went under). Then I started seeing fanart of Beyond Birthday, and that just made me want to read the book even more. When it finally came out in Barnes & Noble, I was so excited, I nearly squeed right there in the manga aisle. Initially, I was expecting some sort of epic showdown between L and BB, and though it didn't turn out that way, I wasn't too disappointed when I got to the ending. Honestly, I'm not sure what to make of the author's style of writing...it's good, but at the same time, it's a tad wordy and he/she tends to go off on tangents...though because Mello is narrating, that may be the way it was intended. All in all, I enjoyed the book, and I have reread it numerous times. I reccomend this highly for Death Note fans.read more

After watching the anime, I wanted more about L. He was the best character and didn't deserve such an ending. He was my favorite character, yet we didn't learn much about him. So, I read this and I enjoyed it. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but the characters were very unique, one in particular, and the story had a natural vibe to it. It was easy to read and connect with the main character. The twist at the end was amazing and I love it when Mello would take you aside to explain things a bit better. It was an amazing read and would probably read it again. read more